Reconditioned vintage machete, identification help please (pics)

[woodworkcan]

Hi,

This is my first post to this forum.

I recently bought this machete at a barn sale for 10$.
After some research, I now think it's a machete of "tapanga" type. There is no branding or markings. It is perhaps a military machete like the French used in WWII? My guess is the blade is manufactured of carbon steel and the handle out of hard exotic wood that is brown with red tint. What do you think?

As you can see in the pics, it was fairly abused and rusted. There was some moderate amount of rust under the scales, so I decided to remove the scales & pins and refinish and glue back everything together. With six fairly tight pins, it was not easy to reassemble it, additionally with epoxy everywhere in between!
I am generally satisfied of the condition now. I tried to leave the beautiful blade patina intact and handle with some dings to show it's age. I will perhaps later fill-in later the chunk of missing handle with tinted epoxy.

Comments and questions are welcomed!

Before

[/url]before by Martin Tremblay, on Flickr[/IMG]

After

[/url]after by Martin Tremblay, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]after2 by Martin Tremblay, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]after3 by Martin Tremblay, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[Rey HRH]

That wood handle, especially the pins came out nice despite the chip seen in the bottom picture.

 

[not2sharp]

What are the measurements on this? It looks more like a kiitchen tool than a machete.

n2s

 

[woodworkcan]

I also initially though it was a butcher knife. But with the fairly straight edge, it makes less sense for slicing meat. There are some file marks along the length of the edge. That seems unusual for a kitchen knife but not uncommon for sharpening a machete.
It is a 12 inch blade and 17 inch overall.

 

[glennbad]

I like what you did with the handle!

 

[afishhunter]

Is it just me? In the "after" picture, it looks like the last inch or so towards the tip is unsharpened. I know some machetes are like that.

 

[smith357]

That is a good looking tool, the handle came out great. I would be proud have a tool like that in my machete collection.

 

[woodworkcan]

I appreciate the responses! I am still unsure if it's a butchers knife or a machete. Probably at 12" blade lenght, the two overlap each other and have similar design?

 

[HeavyHanded]

I appreciate the responses! I am still unsure if it's a butchers knife or a machete. Probably at 12" blade lenght, the two overlap each other and have similar design?

If you make a sheath for it, it becomes a machete. Hang it on a magnet and it becomes a butcher's knife. To me it looks like it might be a corn knife of some sort.

Looks great, I'd put a screaming edge on it and put it in rotation.